Excursion to Eskisehir

During the recent Turkish holiday, we took an excursion to Eskisehir, a city about 200 miles southwest of Istanbul.  It was worth getting up early to see the sun rise over Kadikoy, 

where we took the train from Haydarpasa train station to Eskisehir.

Eskisehir was the construction point for the Berlin - Baghdad Railway beginning in 1894, with the locomotive business continuing to this day.  This plant was also commissioned to make the first cars of 100% Turkish parts and in 1961 made this first car.

In 1515, the Kursunlu complex was established, including a mosque, a school, a caravan saray (hotel).  Visitors traveling the silk road could stay for up to three days with no charge.  The caravan saray's were established one day travel from each other, or about 45 kilometers.

In the area, a soft white stone in dug from the earth and carved into intricate patterns.  Here are some pipes, which were in a shop, ...

 in the old fruit and vegetable market, which has now been restored and houses shops and restaurants.

Tourists visit Eskisehir to see the old restored Ottoman houses in the Odunpazari section of town.  The buildings are restored and painted bright colors along narrow cobble stone streets.

 The homes appear to be used primarily for residential purposes, ...

 although a few had items for sale and one was turned into a tea house.

 On the edge of the restored section, one unrestored building is standing.  Building construction seems to be wooden frame filled with cement and stucco on the outside.

 We stayed overnight in a boutique hotel which was formed from several restored houses.  We stayed in the blue house in the distance and it was charming.  Next door to our hotel is Turkey's only glass museum, but I will save that for another post.

 The Porsuk River runs through the center of Eskisehir and it has been made to look like a canal, with little walking bridges and canal boat rides.  Everything was so clean and well maintained in Eskisehir, I thought I was in a different country!

Princes' Islands

Yesterday, we had very fine weather and I took the opportunity to ferry to the Princes' Islands located in the Sea of Marmara and inside the Istanbul city limits. As we departed from the ferry pier in Kadikoy, we had a view of Haydarpasa train station being repaired. The day I flew into Istanbul, toward the end of November, there was smoke in the air and the source was the roof of this train station. It was quite a blaze, although reports have suggested that the damage was solely to the roof. I was glad to see it being repaired so quickly.

As we headed out to sea, the seagulls joined us and escorted us the entire route to and from the islands. Passengers throw seeds and small pieces of bread to the birds, and are delighted when a bird catches the treat mid-air.

The ferry stops at 4 islands that are part of the Princes' Islands chain. The islands have some year round residents and many summer homes. No cars are allowed on the islands, so they are a bit more peaceful than the rest of Istanbul. We docked at Burgazada island to let some passengers off and more on. Students use the ferry for commuting to school on an island other than their home island.

I got off the ferry at the last stop, Buyukada, or Big Island, and took a walk around. The horses and carraiges are available for touring, and in this case, for delivery of a new washer. The island streets seem very large with no cars on them.

The harbor area had lots of boats, both in and out of the water.

My favorite home was white with pink shutters.

Bicycles are the fast mode of transportation for residents and are available for rent to the tourists.

After walking around for a few hours, I jumped back on the ferry for the return one hour and 15 minute trip back to Kadikoy. The cats were waiting for returning school children at one of the island stops.

I'll repeat this trip, stopping at another of the islands for my walk around. It will be sooner rather than later if this good weather continues.

Haydarpasa Train Station

The Haydarpasa train station was featured in "Ghost Train to the Eastern Star" written by Paul Theroux. The author is repeating his journey made by train some 30 years earlier. My Nazareth, PA book group is reading this book for our July meeting. After visiting for a few days, Theroux departs Istanbul via the train to Kars, from this train station. Haydarpasa is located on the Asian side of Istanbul on the Bosphorus. Checking the train schedule, the train to Kars leaves every morning at 7:10 a.m. and arrives there 7:30 p.m. the next day. The train station can best be viewed from water, as on the ferry departing from just opposite the exit doors. The current building was completed in 1909 in the Neo-Renaissance style, and has serviced trains going to Baghdad and Damascus.

Inside, arches, stained glass and plaster relief are used.

Before you get on your train, you can stock up on snacks and water.

For passengers terminating at Haydarpasa, you can take a ferry from this terminal to the other side of the Bosphorus, to pick up a train heading to the west or to visit the old historic section of Istanbul.

While in Istanbul, Theroux meets two well known authors; Orhan Pamuk, whose "My Name is Red" is one of my favorite books and Elif Shafak, whose historical fiction "The Forty Rules of Love" about the influence of the 13th century mystic Shams from Tabriz, Persia (Iran) on the mystic Rumi from Konak, Turkey is on the shelf of the Nazareth, PA library.